Responding to the Challenge Alison Wride 1

Why we are talking about it Higher fees Economic downturn and concerns about rates of return Higher than anticipated costs to government Parental / media pressure 2

Why we should be talking about it We run the risk of Disengaged alumni Unconvinced employers Reactive changes to policy Reactive increases in regulation 3

The challenges we all face Trade-offs o Contact hours / class sizes o Assessments / feedback Surpluses and investments in staff / capital Resistance to further change and implementation costs / timings Deciding on a model 4

Diversity Just how homogenous is the academic experience? Lectures/ tutorials/ seminars / workshops We face the same challenges o We offer the same solutions o Why? 5

Choice and diversity We all value choice We allow students to choose their programme We allow them to choose their institution But after that we limit choice 6

A better experience Can we improve the academic experience by offering greater choice? How they study When they study Where they study 7

What are the stoppers? Costs Tradition Quality and consistency Timeframes Understanding a new approach 8

What are the benefits? Greater student engagement Not with some students, but with each student Specifically with the subject Flexibility, suits students for their current lives, prepares them for their futures 9

More on benefits Requires insight Not with some students, but with each student Specifically with the subject Flexibility, suits students for their current lives, prepares them for their futures 10

Is it feasible? A challenge for the current system Implications for costs Design Delivery Can we afford not to do it? 11